To the discussion about the hotly debated and often hated pop-up/new window
I feel it is necessary to add perspective from my end of the development
world. I produce military training WBT/CBT and it is an unfortunate fact of
our lives that due to Learning Management System constrictions, etc. a new
window is often required. In most cases it is possible to code in
navigational instructions/warnings to the user, that can be read by a screen
reader, prior to the pop-up/new window opening, which is what most of the
developers with a sensitivity for accessibility often do. If users have
installed pop-up blocking software they often find they are unable to access
the training materials and have to call a tech support hotline.
I think that coming to an accepted consensus regarding a CORRECT way of
programming pop-up/new window openings, as opposed to forcing them out of
existence, is of extreme importance for the development community. I would
like to see additional guidance given within the accessibility guidelines,
and I hope that the browser companies would pay attention. Perhaps once we
establish an acceptable way of coding pop-up/new windows the browsers could
allow users to choose to block all pop-up/new windows that did not meet
those specs.
Respectfully,
Kimberly Peacock
Multimedia Programmer
Pensacola, Florida
peacockk@ctcgsc.org